Millions of Dollars in Lottery Winnings Unclaimed

It’s money left on the table, and it’s millions of dollars every year. It’s been a week since the drawing for a Powerball lottery jackpot of $36-Million. Whoever bought the ticket in Raytown has not come forward to claim the prize. Later this month, the time limit a $100,000 lottery payout for a ticket bought in Waverly will run out. Each year, about one-percent of the state lottery’s prizes are never claimed. One percent doesn’t sound like much – but how about $7.8-Million? State Lottery Spokesman Gary Gonder says there are many reasons nobody collects on a winning ticket. Some people just lose their tickets. He says 99 percent of the prizes are claimed within days. And the money that’s never claimed? It goes to public education. In the last five years, that’s almost $56-Million that nobody else wanted, that the schools were able to use.